"Living My Life Backwards"
Oct. 28th, 2010 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lyricalechoesThere are dried oatmeal flakes strewn all over my fireplace. I do plan to clean it up but I am trying to rest my arms which ache after carrying 28 hardcover books from the library all the way to my car.
Hey, anyone who reads this! I’m SimiliesSlip and I’m living my life backwards. I’m very good at backwards, hence the user name. I meant to make it SimilesSlip which seemed like a good user name for a writer but, since I appear to be slightly dyslexic, I have always seen that word as having an extra “i.” So here I am, as imperfect as my user name.
Many people live their lives in a certain order. In my life, I did everything backwards. At age 18, I had severe health problems. During the course of the diagnosis, I was first told I was dying. I didn’t die but I went though some of the steps of assessing my life, writing my will, and thinking about the end. So, in a way, for me, the end came at 18 and everything else after that has been easier. I’ve already thought of death, said my good-byes in my heart and decided, if I die tomorrow, what will matter? I try to remember that question from day to day, even now.
I was about to start college when my health problems started. I still went to college but, partly due to the diagnosis, I married at nineteen. I quit college to have children, because my husband said it was a good idea. One of those children (the three year old) is responsible for the oatmeal on the fireplace. They are sweet darlings, except when they are not. It’s been a real adjustment for them, from having a stay-at-home mom (me) to having a working mom who is a full time college student.
College, that wonderful craziness, is why I was carrying the 28 hardcover books this morning. I’m an English major who will be certified to teach 7th-12th graders.
My life is full, too full at times which is why I am in the home game rather than a contestant. I’m a wife, mom, college student, part-time nanny, volunteer teacher, volunteer choir member and star as “Audrey Madison” in a play that we’ll perform again on November 6th. The first three nights sold out so hopefully our last performance also is a success. I’ve found it a lot of fun to play a character who is a real b*tch. Most people say “But you’re not usually like that,” but it is fun to channel my annoyances and express them through someone else.
I’m a published though (thus far) unpaid author. The only money I’ve ever made off my writing is I did win $25 when a poem of mine won first place in a contest. I won against 219 other people so I guess that isn’t bad. I only placed 2nd in fiction though so didn’t win any money for that.
Here's the web page that announces who won:
http://web.mac.com/wmdsloan/iWeb/SCWC/2010%20Contest%20Winners.html
If you want to see a couple pieces of my work, go here:
http://www.calhoun.edu/muse/index.html
Pick the Spring 2010 issue and I’m on pages 5, 18, and 19.
I have 5 essays in a book that is sold on Amazon.com but I wasn’t paid to be in it. It’s a publishing credit though! I also self-published a limited run of 30 copies of some of my writing. I kept 1, gave 12 away to family and sold 17, some of those to complete strangers, so that was fun.
I have a long ways to go, both in college (I’m now a junior) and in the rest of my life (the oatmeal flakes are still on the fireplace.)
But now and then, my mind runs away with my fingers and I spit something out on LiveJournal. If you want to read my random musings, this is the journal for you.
To me, the best part of Idol is reading everyone else. I think it is impossible to write even fiction without putting a little bit of who you are or what you imagine into your piece. I just want to say, thank you for signing up to share your ideas with me. I consider reading your words to be great honor.
Hey, anyone who reads this! I’m SimiliesSlip and I’m living my life backwards. I’m very good at backwards, hence the user name. I meant to make it SimilesSlip which seemed like a good user name for a writer but, since I appear to be slightly dyslexic, I have always seen that word as having an extra “i.” So here I am, as imperfect as my user name.
Many people live their lives in a certain order. In my life, I did everything backwards. At age 18, I had severe health problems. During the course of the diagnosis, I was first told I was dying. I didn’t die but I went though some of the steps of assessing my life, writing my will, and thinking about the end. So, in a way, for me, the end came at 18 and everything else after that has been easier. I’ve already thought of death, said my good-byes in my heart and decided, if I die tomorrow, what will matter? I try to remember that question from day to day, even now.
I was about to start college when my health problems started. I still went to college but, partly due to the diagnosis, I married at nineteen. I quit college to have children, because my husband said it was a good idea. One of those children (the three year old) is responsible for the oatmeal on the fireplace. They are sweet darlings, except when they are not. It’s been a real adjustment for them, from having a stay-at-home mom (me) to having a working mom who is a full time college student.
College, that wonderful craziness, is why I was carrying the 28 hardcover books this morning. I’m an English major who will be certified to teach 7th-12th graders.
My life is full, too full at times which is why I am in the home game rather than a contestant. I’m a wife, mom, college student, part-time nanny, volunteer teacher, volunteer choir member and star as “Audrey Madison” in a play that we’ll perform again on November 6th. The first three nights sold out so hopefully our last performance also is a success. I’ve found it a lot of fun to play a character who is a real b*tch. Most people say “But you’re not usually like that,” but it is fun to channel my annoyances and express them through someone else.
I’m a published though (thus far) unpaid author. The only money I’ve ever made off my writing is I did win $25 when a poem of mine won first place in a contest. I won against 219 other people so I guess that isn’t bad. I only placed 2nd in fiction though so didn’t win any money for that.
Here's the web page that announces who won:
http://web.mac.com/wmdsloan/iWeb/SCWC/2010%20Contest%20Winners.html
If you want to see a couple pieces of my work, go here:
http://www.calhoun.edu/muse/index.html
Pick the Spring 2010 issue and I’m on pages 5, 18, and 19.
I have 5 essays in a book that is sold on Amazon.com but I wasn’t paid to be in it. It’s a publishing credit though! I also self-published a limited run of 30 copies of some of my writing. I kept 1, gave 12 away to family and sold 17, some of those to complete strangers, so that was fun.
I have a long ways to go, both in college (I’m now a junior) and in the rest of my life (the oatmeal flakes are still on the fireplace.)
But now and then, my mind runs away with my fingers and I spit something out on LiveJournal. If you want to read my random musings, this is the journal for you.
To me, the best part of Idol is reading everyone else. I think it is impossible to write even fiction without putting a little bit of who you are or what you imagine into your piece. I just want to say, thank you for signing up to share your ideas with me. I consider reading your words to be great honor.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 12:18 am (UTC)And carrying 28 hardcovers.. I am impressed!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 12:38 am (UTC)I have a large cloth bag that fit most of them. I only have to carry about 8 in my arm that wasn't holding the bag.
I know it was trivia but I was trying to write this quickly and think of some little bits of info to throw in.
Thanks for reading:)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-29 04:44 am (UTC)